2018 Robert Keenan Winery Carneros Merlot

Robert Keenan Winery was founded in 1974 when Robert Keenan purchased 180 acres on Spring Mountain. The property was an abandoned vineyard and winery that had not been in production since the early 20th century. Keenan replanted and rebuilt the property and had his first harvest of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon in 1977. Today the estate is run by Michael Keenan, Robert’s son, with consulting winemaking by Nils Venge, one of Napa Valley’s star winemakers. Keenan grows Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and produces about 14,000 cases annually. Robert M. Parker Jr. has often given Keenan wines scores between 90 and 97 pts and notes that “these are textbook Spring Mountain offerings that possess good freshness, tremendous fruit purity, and impressive quality.”

Carneros AVA, also known as Los Carneros, is at the southern end of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys at the top of the San Francisco Bay. The 8,000 vineyard acres are mostly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both of which thrive in the district’s cool, marine climate. Carneros became an AVA in 1983 and it has attracted foreign wine companies along with local producers. It has been especially appealing to European producers of sparkling wines including the giant Spanish cava producers Codorniu and Frexinet, and the French Champagne house Taittinger. Codorniu in Carneros is called Artesa, and Frexinet’s Carneros brand is Gloria Ferrer. Taittinger calls its Carneros winery Domaine Carneros. The European producers also make still wines in Carneros.

The Merlot grape is such a deep blue that it is named for the blackbird. It’s an early ripening grape and one of the primary varietals used In Bordeaux. Merlot is also grown in the "International style," which is harvested later to bring out more tannins and body.